The core thesis, that Muslim immigrants do not change their attitudes and "that they do not engage with German society at all," is totally false, according to Mathias Rohe, an expert on Islam at the Friedrich Alexander University in Erlangen-Nuremberg in southern Germany.

Rohe, who has researched sharia and parallel legal systems among Muslim migrants, completely rejected several arguments in the new book and said its central purpose was to generate fear among Germans.

In 2010, Sarrazin's bestselling book "Deutschland Schafft Sich Ab" (Germany Abolishes Itself) ignited a debate about Muslims in the country.

While he was forced to resign from his job at the Bundesbank and the SPD attempted to expel him from its ranks, many commentators said he was saying what many thought but were afraid to say aloud. (dpa)

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